The Queen’s Gambit

I played as the alternate on the chess team in 8th grade. Every time I tell someone that, I laugh to myself a little bit because it is in such contrast to the baseball/ “jock” stereotype that I might fit into otherwise. Also, I wasn’t good enough to get one of the first three chairs. It was fun and I have always really enjoyed chess, especially when I played with my dad growing up.

Fast-forward twenty years to when I am playing pro ball and chess is probably the last thing you think we’d be doing in the clubhouse before MLB games. But every once in a while, I find someone who likes to play.

After the Queen’s Gambit came out on Netflix, there were a lot of guys who wanted to learn to play this past season. We had fun with it. We played before games, after games, during rain delays, and even on the bus. One night early in the season when we were playing against the Cincinnati Reds AAA team, the Louisville Bats, we went back to the hotel and had a chess night.

There is a speak-easy hidden behind a portrait of a woman’s lips and index finger making the universal “Shhh” symbol. We went into the speak-easy, drank beer, and played chess the whole night long! That night was the first time I ever played against multiple people side-by-side at the same time… and it was a freaking blast.

Shout-out to Kirk and Blake. Let’s do that again sometime!